Drumsticks have been used for centuries to strike drums and other percussion instruments in order to generate drum beats, cymbal clashes and other percussive sounds. During that time, the basic structure of the drumstick has remained relatively unchanged.
Modern developments in electronics and data processing have made possible improvements in musical instruments such as the harpsichord (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,270, to Gerardi et al., incorporated herein by reference), and stringed instruments (see, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/660,038, filed Feb. 18, 2010, incorporated herein by reference) which afford performers new modes of performance.
A need exists for an improved drumstick that incorporates electronic components and affords performers new ways of producing musical performances.